First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Janney Montgomery Scott

Janney Montgomery Scott upgraded shares of First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO - Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $30.00 price objective on the bank's stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on FCCO. Hovde Group increased their price objective on shares of First Community from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James raised shares of First Community from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $27.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

First Community Stock Performance

FCCO traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $26.23. 145,053 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 57,048. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $24.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.40 million, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.42. First Community has a 52 week low of $15.40 and a 52 week high of $27.28.

First Community (NASDAQ:FCCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.06. First Community had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 13.49%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that First Community will post 2.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Community Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. First Community's payout ratio is 33.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Community

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FCCO. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Community during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in First Community during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in First Community by 214.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,046 shares of the bank's stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 6,847 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in First Community in the second quarter worth $261,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of First Community during the third quarter worth $289,000. 61.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

First Community Company Profile

First Community Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Community Bank that provides various commercial and retail banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates through Commercial and Retail Banking, Mortgage Banking, and Investment Advisory and Non-Deposit segments.